The Virginia Star’s Person of the Year 2020: The Nominees

Gun rallies, a general election, COVID-19, and social unrest – it’s been a busy year for Virginians. The Virginia Star is compiling a list of Virginia’s top newsmakers; the staff has picked twelve people, and we’re also looking for reader suggestions: who should come in first and why? Who else should be on the list?

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Commentary: Under Biden, the Term ‘Illegal Alien’ May Become Illegal

If you agreed with President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” approach to governance, then brace yourself, as all of it could soon be subject to dismantling if Joe Biden is successful in his bid for the presidency. The changes will be of both the macro and micro variety. Some that appear minor are actually very significant. One such example is the war on language, specifically the term “illegal alien.”

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Commentary: Charlie Brown’s Christmas Message to America

Parents and children across America breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” would air on public television after all. This classic favorite seemed ready to disappear like everything else in 2020 when Apple TV obtained the rights and planned to air the program on its streaming service, instead of broadcast TV as has been done since 1965.

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New Jobless Claims Decrease to 803,000, Economists Expected 888,000

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims decreased to 803,000 last week as the economy continued to suffer the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) figure released Thursday represented a decrease of new jobless claims compared to the week ending Dec. 12, in which there were 885,000 new jobless claims reported. Roughly 20.4 million Americans continue to collect unemployment benefits, according to the BLS report Thursday.

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Trump Vetoes Defense Spending Bill, Says It’s ‘Gift’ to China and Russia, Lacks Section 230 Reforms

President Trump on Wednesday followed through on his threat to veto the National Defense Authorization Act, calling it a “gift” to China and Russia that also lacks the reforms he sought to rescind legal liability shields for technology companies provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

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Pfizer, U.S. Reach Deal for 100 Million Additional Coronavirus Vaccine Doses

The Trump Administration has purchased an additional 100 million doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the drugmaker announced Wednesday.

The new agreement means that Pfizer will supply 200 million doses to the United States, according to the company’s statement, which will be distributed through July 2021. Also included in the deal is the option to purchase an additional 400 million doses.

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Trump Authorizes Russiagate Special Counsel to Use Classified Information for Grand Jury Proceedings

President Donald Trump on Tuesday authorized the Department of Justice to use classified information in grand jury proceedings connected to a special counsel’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

In a memo released through the White House, Trump authorized the attorney general “to use classified information as he deems necessary in connection with his review, including in a grand jury or other proceeding.”

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Fauci: Americans Should Not to See Their Kids for Christmas

Dr Anthony Fauci has revealed that he and his wife won’t be spending time with their three adult children for Christmas this year and urged other Americans to do the same as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the U.S.

The nation’s alleged top infectious disease expert told The Washington Post it would mark the first Christmas not spent with his three daughters since they were born.

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Virginia Beach Public Schools Postpones Decision on Winter Sports Season

The Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) postponed its decision Tuesday on whether to cancel the divisions’ high school winter sports season this year because of current COVID-19 data of the area.

Last week, Virginia Beach Superintendent Aaron Spence wrote in a letter to families that if either the percent positivity or the 7-day daily average of cases – two indicators used in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s K-12 School Metrics – does not improve to the “yellow range” by Tuesday, the winter sports season would be cancelled.

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140,000 Doses of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Arrive in Virginia

Roughly 140,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in Virginia on Wednesday after the state had initially placed an order with the company last week, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said in a news release.

Shipments of Moderna’s vaccine, approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, as well as Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine are being delivered to healthcare facilities and health departments across the Commonwealth this week. The two vaccines are going to 96 “geographically diverse locations” in the state, according to the release.

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